The Mute

03 | three

Ace Black

"Wake up!" My older sister yelled, throwing a shoe at me.

"I'm up!" I yelled back at her.

"Good," She smiled, slamming my door closed. My sister is very annoying, but she's my ride to school, so I guess I have to be nice to her today. I grumbled and put on a pair of jeans and a gray T-Shirt. I made my way downstairs, grabbing some cheerios from the kitchen counter while I'm at it.

"Thanks, mom," I smiled.

"No problem, cupcake," My mom kissed my forehead. I walked into the living room, where my dad was sitting with eggs and bacon on a plate, watching the news.

"Good morning," I signed to my dad.

"Good morning, my boy," He signed back. My dad is deaf. Well, he wasn't always deaf. He used to be in the army. It was a bomb situation, and one thing led to another and bam! Can't hear anymore. That's how I learned sign language.

My dad can do things on his own, but he just needs a little help. Like once, he was making cupcakes in the oven (he loves to bake), but he didn't hear the timer go off and almost burned the house down. One conversation with my dad later, my sister, Brianne, told me it was time to go.

"Bye!" I waved to my mom and dad.

"Do you have everything, golden boy?" Brianne asked.

"Yes, and stop calling me that!" I pouted. She rolled her eyes and drove away. She dropped me off at the front of the school with all my bags and then drove off to work. I set off to find my dorm running into Melinoë on the way.

"Hey, why are you here so early? I thought you weren't getting a dorm," I questioned.

"I'm not. I just wanted to find my classes early so I can figure out a route," Melinoë signed.

"Oh, okay. I'm heading to my dorm. Do you want to come?" I asked.

"I have to meet Isaiah at the front. But I'll see you around," She signed.

"Okay, see you later," I smiled. When I finally found my dorm, I was greeted by a "DUDE!"

"Hey, Jay!" I exclaimed. Jay Reyes, my best friend. Jay is the class clown of the entire school. He's the kid the teachers take one look at and say, "You're sitting at the front of the class" or "This is going to be a long day." I am the exact opposite of him. I look like a jock, but I'm a nerd. It's not like I don't like sports. Knowledge is just more important to me. I am a part of the basketball team because my dad wanted me to "try out," which led to me being an essential team member. And I'm committed, so I'm stuck there.

"Bro, I can't believe we're roommates this year!" Jay smiled. "Last year, my roommate sucked."

"Yeah, Arnold was a buzzkill," I agreed. We chatted as we put some of our things away when it was time to get to class. Jay and I split off at some point because he had to use the bathroom when I found Melinoë being cornered into a wall by some guy.

"Hey, Melinoë, are you okay?" I asked.

"Oh, so that's your name," Hunter, the guy cornering her into the wall, smirked. Melinoë wasn't crying yet, so he hadn't touched her, but she looked visibly uncomfortable. I reached out my hand and grabbed her hand, pulling her out from the corner. Her hand was shaking slightly as she squeezed my hand.

"Did he do anything to you?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Can we go now?" She signed.

"Is she deaf or something?" Hunter scoffed.

"She's mute and doesn't like to be touched," I responded.

"Oh, I didn't know- My bad," Hunter sort of apologized to Melinoë.

"It's alright," She signed.

"What does that mean?" Hunter asked me.

"She said it's alright," I huffed, walking away with Melinoë. "What's your homeroom?"

"103," Melinoë signed.

"Great, me too," I smiled. "I'm going to have to take care of you all year, don't I?"

Melinoë blushed then shrugged, "If you want. You don't have to."

"Your new nickname is Precious," I declared. She gave me a confused look. "It's 'cause you're fragile. And you're as precious as a pearl," I smiled. She rolled her eyes.

"Hey, Ace!" A familiar girl's voice exclaimed. Oh, god, please, no. I squeezed Melinoë's hand and ran. Melinoë was confused but kept up the pace.

"Stop running away from me!" The girl whined. We got stuck because there was a blockade of people blocking the way. Melinoë looked like she was going to have a panic attack, but she'll be fine. I'll be fine. We're fine. Everything's fine.

"Ace~" Bree twirled her finger in her hair.

"Hey, Bree-" I sighed.

"Who is..." She looked Melinoë up and down, "this?"

"This is Melinoë. She's new here," I stated.

"Oh, okay, I'm Bree Smortner," Bree went to hug Melinoë, but Melinoë backed up into the lockers behind us.

"Oh, she's mute and doesn't like to be touched," I explained.

"Then why are you two holding hands?" Bree asked.

"Hand contact is the only thing she can handle," I clarified. "Well, we better get to class! Seeya later, Bree!"

I hope I never see you again!